He was ready to hit the penalty and I was off the pitch at that point.

I was desperate for him to take it. I wanted him to score for Scotland because it would have been great for him.

But Scott Booth ran up to Andy and said: “Craig said I’ve to hit the penalties.” Incredibly, Andy gave him the ball.

It was a friendly and it was Andy’s first cap. If it was me, I’d never have given Booth the ball. If he’d said that to me, I’d have said: “Tell Craig to f*** off, I’m hitting it.”

Booth acted like a kid at school, as if it was his ball and no one else was to get it.

I knew after the Poland game that it would definitely be my last cap under Craig. I didn’t even play well in the game, if I’m honest.

The pitch was heavy and Poland were a pretty decent outfit. I barely got a kick.

No, the only gripe I’ve ever really had with not being picked for Scotland was when Vogts took over – and seemed to cap EVERYONE bar me.

I was playing in Dundee derbies during my time at United and, back then, they were really good games.

I was running the show in some of those matches and was really proud of my performances. Vogts hadn’t long been appointed as Scotland manager when he came to watch one of them. I’m sure it was a 1-0 victory for us at Dens Park in April, 2002.

I was directly up against Gavin Rae, who was playing in central midfield for Dundee.

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Now, I love big Gavin as a guy. My mate from Australia, Mark Robertson, is married to Gavin’s sister-in-law. But that day, I absolutely battered him. I gave him a doing. He couldn’t get near me in the middle of the park and we ran out deserved winners.

Then a few days later, Berti named his Scotland squad and I wasn’t in it – but Gavin was. I don’t know what game he was watching at Dens but I’m sure Berti must have thought Gavin was me.

I played really well that day. I couldn’t believe he’d picked the one-eyed fish before me.

Seriously, I must have been the only Scottish player alive not to get a cap under Berti. I think back now and there were guys like Gary Holt, Robbie Stockdale and Scott Dobie getting caps ahead of me.

For a spell at United, I was in the best form I’d been in since breaking through at Rangers. I deserved more caps under Berti. No disrespect but I was better than guys like Stockdale and Dobie every day of the week.

Yet Berti never once spoke to me about a call-up. Alex Smith (United boss) and I couldn’t believe it.

And by then I really wanted to be in the squad. I could see everyone else getting in and I was thinking, ‘what do I need to do to get picked here’?

I felt I could have offered that Scotland team something different. Aside from James McFadden, who was a bit of a maverick, all we had was runners and workers in the attacking third of the pitch.

I believe I could have created chances for Scotland and given us a different dimension – even coming off the bench. But it wasn’t to be for me at international level, despite the four-and-a-half good years at Dundee United.

He was the teenager from the mean streets of Glasgow starring in one of the greatest Rangers teams of all time. Now Charlie Miller is telling his story in a new book, Charlie Miller: The Proper Charlie, written with Daily Record and Sunday Mail football writer Scott McDermott.